I am a wife, mom and part time teacher. I truely love to do "creative work" in my free time. I currently live in an eighty six year old home that has a brand new furnace in Grand Rapids, Michigan. My family includes my one beautiful daughter who is often my model and tryer-outer of things (wanna find out if something will break?--put it on a toddler!) and my one wonderful husband who is so very encouraging of my work and the person that keeps me going.
The name 'pookbellums' is one I have known for almost twenty years. When I was six years old, my sister Kaitlin was born. Shortly after her birth, we learned that Kaitlin was born with some challenges ahead of her. The doctors told my family that there was cause for concern in the area of mental development. At around age one, Kaitlin was diagnosed with cerebral palsy. Kait has a special place in the hearts of many people. She is outgoing, fun and loves to laugh. She is an avid sports fan, dancer and loves to eat good food. She is extremely kind and compassionate and is always in tune with the mood of others. Kaitlin is an amazing person created by God.
As a small child my dad nicknamed Kait "pookbellums," or "pook" for short. No one is exactly sure how or where he came upwith it (I was jess-kee-cah, and my brothers were erikus, and beach bear)--but it stuck. And in my growing up immediate family Kaitlin is called pook almost as much as her given name.
One of my desires for this business is that others can and will benefit from my work. Under the inspiration from the TOMS company model, I have decided to dedicate a portion of my profits to a charity that will provide for special people like my sister.
Currently, I am sponsoring an amazing organization called His Harvest Stand. They are a food distribution non profit in Zeeland, MI where Kaitlin currently spends her time once per week. Due to the down economy, they are in need of extra cash to supplement what does not get donated by generous food-related businesses. Since His Harvest Stand is a big part of Kaitlin's life, I desire to help them in this time of need.
How did I end up making what I do? Well, I LOVE material. Some people love water, or hiking or sports or food. (Well, I love food.) but I really really love material. I can spend hours in Jo-Ann fabrics or online looking at fabric. Creating broches, necklaces, pillows, bags, headbands and barettes has allowed me to make something practical out of fabric. I love that there are a zillion different possibilities for one thing. I also purchase some of my materials (fabric, buttons, etc.) at the thrift store-- It is way to much fun washing and tearing up old shirts and repurposing them into new creations.
If you are reading this my guess is that you kind of maybe like some of my stuff. Thank you! I welcome any positive comments and or feedback and I would love to custom make/design something for you by contacting me through email.
